Ultrarunning, traveling, writing, and adventures from the RD of the Burning Man Ultramarathon.

23 February 2013

call out what's wrong

When I was running down my block today, two utility trucks were blocking part of the road with a sign, “Men at Work.” I immediately was annoyed. How would a woman feel if she worked here? So I went up to them, “Excuse me, but your sign isn’t going to make women want to work here. It’s not very inclusive.” I received profuse apologies – apparently most of these signs had been replaced with “Utility Work” signs. “We really didn’t mean it.”

But sometimes people don’t know. And a polite question can often enlighten people and open up a whole new conversation.